State of West Virginia Archives: on Environment

John Buckley:
People should be able to legally enforce clean air & water

Q: Do you support or oppose the statement, "No 'rights' to clean air and water"?

A: Oppose, technically.
There should be stronger private sector remedies in the resolution of disputes over the effects of pollution on third-parties. Third-parties have a common law right to the peaceful enjoyment of their property.

Earl Ray Tomblin:
Identify and remediate land available for development

West Virginia needs to identify and remediate land available for development. West Virginia has a strong history in manufacturing and mining, and a number of unused sites have great potential for future development. So tonight,
I propose the State form a public non-profit corporation to identify, promote, and oversee programs that will foster economic development and environmental remediation. Working together, we can put these sites back to use in West Virginia.

Source: 2013 State of the State Address to W.V. Legislature
Feb 13, 2013

John Raese:
Abolish the EPA & the Department of Energy

Raese aggressively criticized the Obama administration on coal regulations, and environmental policy. He also wants to cut some federal programs that currently regulate the environment. "The Obama administration has been regulating coal out of existence.
Try to get a permit today, if you can," Raese said. "He doesn't want to burn fossil fuels, he's making coal priced so high that it's not competitive anymore," he said, "I'd like to abolish the Department of Energy, and I would also like to abolish the
EPA. I think they are both redundant."

Manchin says all energy resources in the country should be developed, to stop dependence on foreign oil. He says regulatory practices from the Environmental Protection Agency are unfairly hurting
Appalachian coal mining. But he says a balance must be drawn to protect both industry and environmental interests. "There's a balance to be had, the economy and the environment has to work together," Manchin said.